Learn about your ancestors’ military service

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Ideas to consider for a reunion destination

There is probably no more iconic place in the country for a military reunion (or any reunion) than the National Capital area and the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Not only are there countless historic sites and treasures to visit and admire, but many require no admission fee. Some, of course, require advance reservations, so exploring that possibility should be a part of your planning. All can be accessed quite easily.

Newest among the attractions is the National Museum of the United States Army, which opened in 2021.  It celebrates over 245 years of Army history and honors our nation’s Soldiers – past, present, and future – in the regular Army, Army Reserves, and the Army National Guard. Building the museum was a massive undertaking led by a joint effort between the Army and a non-profit organization, The Army Historical Foundation (AHF). Information about the museum can be found at www.armyhistory.org

A partial list of other area attractions includes: e The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, is located at Washington Dulles International Airport. The museum is free, and is home to the Enola Gay, the SR-71 Blackbird, the space shuttle Discovery, and hundreds of other historic military and civilian aircraft, spacecraft, and related artifacts. See airandspace.si.edu e George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Reunion groups may elect to hold a private wreath-laying ceremony at General Washington’s Tomb; this is a complimentary service. See www.mountvernon.org/ e Arlington National Cemetery and The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. See www.arlingtoncemetery.mil/ Explore/Tomb-of-the-Unknown-Soldier e The Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are all located a short distance from one another along the National Mall in Washington, DC. See WashingtonDC.org e The Smithsonian National Museums include Natural History and American History, American Indian, and African American History and Culture, the National Portrait Gallery, Asian Art and much more. See www.washington.org/smithsonian-institution-museums e Civil War sites include Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and the National Battlefields at Manassas, Antietam, and Gettysburg; all are an easy drive from Washington, DC.

Adapted from an article News for Army Reunion Groups from Visit Fairfax.